... has sent Coriolanus, her son, to his death at the hands of the Volscions. Traditional academic critics have received this scene without much analysis, taking the character at face value and condemning Volumnia as a cruel and abusive mother, and insist that she is not "given a moment of reflection ... intent. Many instances suggest that silence in women is a convention in renaissance theater that was to be understood by audiences as emotionally difficult for the character being portrayed. In Shakespeare's Othello, Iago says, "guiltiness will speak, though tongues were out of use" (Othello ...

• Word Count: 1648
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate